Norwegian's New Advertising Brand Platform

Norwegian Cruise Line debuted a new “brand platform” for their advertising. You’re soon going to know what it means to “Cruise Like a Norwegian.” This video will give you a sampling of the television ads which have already begun running on ABC and CBS, as well as cable networks such as the Travel Channel, HGTV, MSNBC and the Discovery Channel. The theme will carry through to NCL's digital advertising on the web and to their social media platforms.



The complete story appeared in the October 11, 2011, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Update (Oct 12): NCL released copies of the actual television ads that will be airing:

1st - 15-second spot:


2nd (very similar) - 15-second spot:


30-second spot:

Carnival Jumps on the "Branded" Bandwagon

TV chef Guy Fieri shows off one of the prototype burgers which will be served
in Guy's Burger Shack aboard selected Carnival ships in the future.

Carnival Cruise Lines has a new half-billion-dollar initiative that represents an evolution of the brand which they are calling Fun Ship 2.0.

It's bringing aboard a number of "branded" products, mostly via celebrity names. Carnival is using the branding in a quite different way than most lines have.

The two highest profile celebrities are television chef Guy Fieri and comedian George Lopez. Neither will personally appear aboard any cruises, however.

Comedian George Lopez (left) has also been tapped by Carnival to lend his
name to the line's comedy clubs.

Fieri will lend his name to a gourmet burger stand aboard selected ships, while Lopez will work mainly behind the scenes helping Carnival select comedians to appear onboard, but allowing the line to use his name to promote their comedy clubs.

It will be some time, however, before the Fun Ship 2.0 features debut aboard all the ships. Dates are tentatively scheduled through 2015, and even at that, not all ships in the fleet will be completed.

Fun Ship 2.0 also seems to be seeking to change the line's demographics. Will it work for Carnival?

The complete article appeared in the October 3, 2011, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Paul Gauguin to Expand with Second Ship

Paul Gauguin announced this afternoon that they will acquire a small second ship (45 staterooms) which will begin sailing in December 2012. It will be christened m/v Moana and refurbished in November 2012. Plans are for it to sail in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

The complete story will appear in the September 30, 2011, edition of Cruise News Daily.

You Can Now Sleep More Soundly on Celebrity Cruises

Passengers aboard Celebrity Cruises are going to be able to sleep more soundly on fresh clean pillows and not have to worry about the old yucky pillows going into a landfill. The line has purchased nine of Harris Pillow's Pillow-Vacs that will operate behind the scenes on every ship (except the tiny Celebrity Xpedition).



Depending where the pillow is in the process, you'll agree that the Pillow-Vac really sucks. At the end of the process, you can also say it really blows.

The complete article appeared in the September 28, 2011 edition of Cruise News Daily.

TUI Orders New Ship from STX

Artist's rendering of TUI Cruises' 97,000-ton newbuild.

STX Europe said today that TUI Cruises, the joint venture between German travel conglomerate TUI and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, has ordered a 97,000-ton vessel from STX and that it will be built at their Turku yard.

The vessel is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2014. The order includes an option for a second ship.

Details will be in today's edition of Cruise News Daily.